Gran Kahuna - Hostel
Bocas del Toro - Panama

This hotel provokes a mix of feelings. There's no question that it has an excellent environment. There are plenty of hammocks, a common room with near-constantly running movies, an in-house bar and a great foosball table. It's also affiliated with the rocking Iguana Bar and guests get a discount there. Everything's new and their hard-working cleaners keep the place spic-and-span. However, there are a few things that spoil what should be a fantastic hostel.

The owner is rarely around. This leaves the day-to-day management to a pair of surfers who run the place as their own personal fiefdom. They hand out freebies to guests they favor (or fancy) while selectively-enforcing the hostel's many piddling rules and technicalities on those they do not. The hostel seems to be centered around them, rather than the guests, which leaves a bad taste in some travelers' mouths. The owner's absence can also be felt in other ways, from the absence of a fan in the sweltering common-room to the broken water heaters.

We'd still call this a very good hostel, but these issues prevent it from being the best in town.